Ayna looked at the invitation propped on the living room
table. It was positioned to catch her attention and hopefully provoke her to
act.
“Ma I’m not attending. I won’t react favorably even if it is
the first thing I see in the morning.”
“How long are you going to mourn that your wedding was called
off because the groom had a fatal accident.”
“On these occasions people don’t take kindly to my presence.”
The arguments would have continued but for the entrance of
Ayna’s best friend Vinny.
“Promises are meant to be kept and remember what you told
Rani. Let’s have a look at your wardrobe. Why don’t we look at your wedding
trousseau and choose an outfit before it becomes dated or you outgrow it.”
Ayna laughed, “You know how to outwit Ma and smart enough to
remind me of a promise made long ago.”
“I have my own agenda. You know Manish’s buddy Jiten will be
there and he is interested in you. Give yourself a chance before you find
yourself on the shelf. And you hadn’t even met the man you were going to marry.
It was all on the computer and none of us were comfortable with the process.”
“Yes, it was hurried and all the expenses and prep were
futile as he was seriously injured and then vanished without a trace. I got a
short message from his family about the accident and after that just silence. I
haven’t been able to deal with the trauma and the guilt of putting my family
through this drama.”
“Attend the engagement party. It is going to be huge because
the wedding is going to be only family. There will be guys that are interested
in girls like you, there will be dancing and music and you will be one of the
many having a great time.”
.
Ayna was pleased with her reflection but she still hesitated
to enter a room filled with familiar faces. Vinny’s gentle push and the general
spirit of gaiety helped her find her feet and she moved effortlessly in the
crowd, carried by the music and the bonhomie around her. She greeted old
acquaintances and even met Jiten and had a quick short chat. After all she
couldn’t afford to disappoint Vinny who knew when Ayna needed to be propelled
in to action.
A breath of fresh air became absolutely necessary in a room
packed with high energy. Ayna made her way out of the gyrating dancers, the
noise had gone up a few decibels and the pulsating music was becoming a bit
tiring. She managed to find her way to the verandah that led to the garden. A
brief breather would work wonders to restore her energy.
The verandah was dark and only caught the lights spilling out
from the main rooms. Ayna looked around for a chair and found a few stacked in
a far corner. In the dark, she misjudged her step and stumbled. A man’s hand
stretched out to steady her and she realized she wasn’t alone.
A voice penetrated the dark, “I hope you haven’t hurt
yourself.”
The man’s presence was unexpected but she hid her
nervousness, “Thank you. I’m afraid I didn’t see you.”
The man carried on making small talk and put her at ease. No
names were exchanged and Ayna asked, “You must know the town and the family.”
“I didn’t live here but spent a few childhood holidays. We
went for picnics to the old fort near the river.”
The old fort was a conversation spinner until they were
interrupted by Vinny’s phone ringing insistently. “I’ve been looking for you.
We are going to raise a toast to the couple. Please hurry up.”
Anya stopped speaking midway, “Must go now and I’m sure you
will join me.”
“Please carry on as an old injury has slowed me down and it
takes me time to stand up and start walking. I will be on my way.”
Ayna hurried back to
where everyone had gathered. The party was drawing to a close and Ayna was
caught up in saying good byes and agreeing to future meetings.
It was only as Ayna drove back with Vinny and Manish that she
remembered briefly about the stranger.
Manish teased her, “My friend Jiten is totally impressed and
wants to meet you soon.”
Vinny laughed, “Amazing that you were so much in demand after
your long absence at social meets. I
noticed you were missing for a long time?
Who was the lucky man?”
“It sounds foolish now but the conversation flowed seamlessly
and it didn’t occur to me that names weren’t exchanged. It was like strangers
you meet at the railway station or airport, travelling in different directions
and saying hello. I didn’t think I had sat out for a long time.”
Work pressures pushed back memories of meeting with the
nameless stranger. Ayna was surprised when an envelope was hand delivered. It
contained an invitation that read:
We met at the engagement party and parted without even
exchanging names. It took me some time to find you out and to ask if we can
take this a step forward.
Would you care to join me for dinner at The Electra on 13th
December at 8 pm?
Regards
Ramesh
Ayna read the letter several times and debated whether she
should respond to the letter. Not only did she not know his name but in the
darkness she had barely made out his features. It was almost like a blind date
but she was familiar with the restaurant and decided to be impulsive.
Remembering a past practice from her teenage years, Ayna had
informed Vinny the details of her dinner date. Their rule was to inform if the
situation looked dodgy and before matters got out of hand.
Ayna had barely time to look around and was greeted by a
smartly dressed man who introduced himself, “I am Ramesh and am glad you
decided to accept my invitation. “
He led her to a table for two and which faced the entrance to
the room. After some casual conversation Ramesh looked intently at Ayna. His
hands were on the table almost asking to be held, “I’ve something to confess. I
met your fiancée briefly, before he had the accident…”
Ayna stared; slack jawed unable to utter a word, her eyes
filled up with tears. “Did you know
him?”
He touched her trembling hands, “No. We had both stopped for
a break at a wayside tea shop and exchanged pleasantries. He was happy and
excited and said that he was getting married shortly to a girl from Sonepore.
I started a little later and was delayed by the news that the
road was blocked because of a collision between a truck and a car. It was your
fiancée’s car and I helped some of the bystanders to extricate him from the
mangled remains.”
“How did you know that I was the bride?”
“I had come to the party along with my friend who works for
an event planning company. You had briefly turned your face towards me when I
overheard one of the invitees point at you and mention in detail about the
accident.
You walked in while I
was waiting for my friend to be free. By the time I had gathered courage to speak
about that terrible incident, you were gone.
I’ve wanted to meet
you since that night.”
The conversation had taken an unexpected turn when the phone
vibrated in her bag and made her uncomfortable. Instinctively she withdrew her
hand and looked at the message on her phone. It was from Vinny and read DON’T
MOVE. JITEN COMING. Confused she looked up to see that three men had appeared
from nowhere and encircled Ramesh who aimed a glass of water in her direction.
Instinctively she dodged and the contents sloshed her before it hit the wall
and broke.
Involuntarily Anya screamed, covered her face and started to
sob while a few waiters and diners led by the restaurant manager crowded
around. Embarrassed and scared, Anya started to cry loudly and before she could
make herself understood heard a male voice taking charge of the mess.
It was Jiten and he was able to calm Ayna. In a few minutes
he had extricated her from the pandemonium and led her out.
As he started the car he asked, “Where and how did you meet
this man? Did you know anything about him?”
“I met him at Rani’s party and it ended there. I didn’t know
his name. A few weeks later he sent me an invitation for dinner and it was
signed Ramesh. I thought ….”
“Sorry to interrupt but he uses several aliases and is a
clever cyber-criminal. You could have landed in deep trouble.”
“At the restaurant he provided me with information that
sounded authentic and I found no reason to be suspicious.”
Jiten listened carefully to Ayna’s account and then said,
“Men like Ramesh are wily and smart. Witnesses have confirmed that he was
present at the site of the accident. Luck was on his side as he noticed Arun’s
phone in the debris and pocketed it. He had accessed information from the phone
that provided him with personal data. I doubt that he heard anything at the
party. His reasons for attending the party are unknown. Maybe he had come along
with his friend and had nothing planned.”
“This evening I visited Vinny who mentioned that you were
dining at the Electra with a mysterious date.
I told her that I would be also going there and she laughed and asked me
to report about your date.”
Ayna looked intently, “You appeared at the exact moment and
it was too much of a coincidence.”
“I work for a cybersecurity company that provides services to
banks, financial institutions, credit card companies and others. Mr. Ramesh is
the master mind behind a group of criminal hackers. We have been chasing him
unsuccessfully.
The hotel uses our services and informed us that Mr. Ramesh
had used fraudulent credit cards and hadn’t checked out. We often work with the
cyber police department and they were told that Mr. Ramesh would be dining at
the restaurant.
My curiosity to identify Ramesh had brought me to the
restaurant. I was worried to see you in his company and called Vinny who warned
you and alerted me.”
Ayna sat silently; her voice choked as she tried to make
sense of the evening’s events. She wondered why Ramesh had wanted to meet her.
Jiten was in no hurry and waited until he guessed that Ayna
was had composed herself. He spoke gently, “Today’s incident was unreal and I
don’t know why Ramesh planned this dinner. Trust is in a way spontaneous and
Ramesh had given you no reason to disbelieve him. I don’t think he wanted to
harm you.”
Ayna shivered and her voice trembled, “He aimed the glass at
me. I could have been hurt.”
“He acted on the spur of the moment, most probably to
distract the police and escape.”
A smile quivered on Ayna’s lips, “You have been the knight in
shining armor. Could I return the favor by asking you out for dinner?”
“Tonight let me have the honor and I’ll take a rain check for
another evening.”
Ayna rang up Vinny, “My dinner date has changed. Don’t worry
until further notice.”
.
